Autonomous vehicles have replaced human drivers with computer-implemented intelligence to control and/or drive the vehicle. Autonomous vehicles typically utilize a number of sensors and other automation technology to help navigate the surrounding environment. For example, three-dimensional (3D) sensing technology may be used to map a vehicle's local environment and larger surrounding areas. The sensor information may be used to control vehicle inputs (e.g., steering, acceleration, braking, etc.) to drive the vehicle in an autonomous manner. This enables an autonomous vehicle to safely navigate and traverse terrain while avoiding both static objects (e.g., trees, structures, drop-offs, etc.) and dynamic objects (e.g., people, animals, vehicles, etc.) in its path.
Many autonomous vehicles are capable of being operated in an autonomous mode (e.g., vehicle inputs provided by one or more processors) or a manual mode (e.g., vehicle inputs provided by person physically present within the vehicle). More specifically, some autonomous vehicles may allow a user or rider of the vehicle to dynamically change the operating mode (e.g., even while the vehicle is traveling at relatively high speeds). Therefore, it may be desirable to provide an autonomous vehicle with safeguards for ensuring a relatively safe transition between autonomous and manual modes.